Don't Look Up! Individual Income Comparisons and Subjective Well-Being of Students in Thailand.

Empirical evidence supports the hypothesis that an individual's position in an income stratum-more than the absolute income level-determines subjective well-being. However, studies on subjective well-being suffer from a critical methodological weakness: they use exogenously defined reference groups. Our study addresses this point by applying an innovative new survey instrument.

When nature frowns: A comprehensive impact assessment of the 2012 Babessi floods on people's livelihoods in rural Cameroon.

Floods are the most common natural disasters worldwide. Much of the growing literature on the impact of floods, especially in developed countries, and to a lesser extent in rural areas of developing countries, concentrates on economic rather than a comprehensive assessment of combined effects on people's livelihoods. Holistic floods impact assessments are often done long after the shock, raising problems of data reliability following long recall periods, although post-disaster needs assessments when carried out earlier can facilitate appropriate disaster recovery, relief and reconstruction activities.